Pop quiz time – guess in what country the largest block
of lost people in the world live?
China – no real surprise there.
Now, guess where the second-largest block of lost people in
the world live.
India – which may or may not readily have come to mind.
Okay, now, guess where the third-largest block of lost people
live.
Give up?
North America.
Pop quiz time – guess in what country the largest block
of lost people in the world live?
China – no real surprise there.
Now, guess where the second-largest block of lost people in
the world live.
India – which may or may not readily have come to mind.
Okay, now, guess where the third-largest block of lost people
live.
Give up?
North America.
“It is also true that North America is the only continent
where Christianity is in decline in terms of the ratio of Christians to the
population, …” said Curt Watke, director of the Kim School of Intercultural
Studies at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.
“We are just beginning to realize that we have been sending
missionaries to countries around the globe who have a greater Christian-to-population
ratio than some of our major cities, states and
provinces.”
In other words, even as they reach out to share the gospel
with the world, American Christians are realizing there is a lot of work to
be done at home as well.
Watke certainly realizes that.
He recently discussed the situation in a question-and-answer
interview that appeared in spring issue of “Church Planting and Evangelism
Today.” The publication is a quarterly resource provided by the Southern
Baptist North American Mission Board for church leaders.
Watke also realizes business – and perspective –
as usual simply is not going to get the job done at home.
The key is to start looking at North America the same way an
international missionary looks at his field – as a mix of people groups
that need gospel presentations tailored to their understanding and culture,
he emphasized.
“The need of the hour is to stop our obsession with cookie
cutter evangelism approaches and ministry programs and realize that we
will need to learn how to customize both our presentations and our
ministries to the many people around us,” the seminary professor asserted.
Unfortunately, evangelical seminaries traditionally have trained
students for pastoral ministry rather than missionary-style ministry, Watke
said.
“They have trained them to be chaplains and caretakers
of the church rather than being missionary pastors,” he said.
“As a result, they do not arrive on their domestic field
with the eyes of a missionary who (is) arriving on a foreign field, …”
Watke added. “They lead congregations to be a church with missions
rather than a missionary congregation.”
The truth is that the Great Commission has become nothing more
than the giving of money and the taking of occasional trips into needy areas
for many Christians, Watke indicated. In turn, it is not being equated with
reaching out to the people groups in ones own area.
Thus, North America is not viewed as spiritually needy as the
rest of the world – “and that is a grave mistake, …” Watke
said.
“There remain pockets of individuals in North America
… who remain sociologically and culturally separated from evangelical Christianity.”
Watke emphasized that Christians must understand postmodern
culture is not a melting pot but “a patchwork quilt with distinctive qualities
and rich diversity.”
He also stressed that while persons in North America may be
physically close to the gospel message, many remain culturally distant. “By
cultural distant, I mean that most unchurched Americans honestly cannot understand
our message. …
“If we are to reach the people groups and population segments
in north America, we will need to engage them in their own cultural context,”
Watke maintained.
The seminary professor insisted that people are searching desperately
for spirituality and for answers to three questions:
Who am I?
“They dont know, so, they are trying to define self,”
Watke said.
How do I relate to others?
They are searching for links to others, for a sense of community,
Watke said.
How do I relate to this Supreme Being, whatever
it is?
“They are not looking for a religion; they are looking
for a true spirituality,” Watke explained. “They are looking for a
holistic solution that will affect every area of their lives – financial,
health, moral, spiritual, emotional, family and so on.”
Unfortunately, when most persons look at Christianity these
days, they do not see such spirituality – they see “church people,”
Watke suggested.
And that is not good enough.
“They are wanting tough answers about spirituality, about
eternity, and we talk to them about church programs instead,” he said.
“We dont talk to them about Christianity. We talk to them about Churchianity.
“Thats why the bookstores and coffee houses have
become the church for many of these people in our culture,”
Watke said. “It is a gathering place where people of all persuasions gather
to discuss spirituality.”
In response to such a situation, Watke urged persons to examine
how they can share the gospel in ways that those around them can understand
and respond to it.
“Its not good enough just for them to hear it,”
he said. “It must be presented in … a way that they can understand.”
He also urged persons to help new believers learn how to “do
church” in a way that is culturally relevant to them.
“Let them start their own church with their own cultural
nuances so they can reach their peers,” Watke said.
“Dont expect their church to mirror how you do
church.”
Finally, Watke suggested a need for pastoral leaders to move
beyond any sense of competition they may have about starting new churches in
their areas.
“Pastors need to realize that no matter what style of
worship and type of ministry they design, their very choice will attract some
and repel others,” he said. “The fact that they are reaching some
groups of people will make it more difficult at best to reach other people groups
in their community.
“One size does not fit all,” Watke said.
“It would be possible to have two Southern Baptist churches
across the street from each other, reaching different sociocultural groups in
their community, and they could not be in conflict with each other.”
(For information about church growth and church-starting efforts and resources
in this country, call the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board at 770-410-6511)